Monday, January 21, 2008

South Park Flea Market's Grand Opening

The grand opening of the South Park Flea Market was modest in terms of the number of vendors as well as visitors, but it seems very promising.

My friends and I arrived at 8th & Grand at around 10:30AM. There was no admission, and friendly greeters Carl & Amy warmly invited us to enter a raffle for an iPod.

The first thing that I noticed was the huge barbecue stall near the entrance, offering ribs, chicken, hot dogs, pulled pork sandwiches, and lemonade. The lemonade was excellent (just $2, and a refill for $1), and the pulled pork sandwich was exactly what you would expect it to be. They were the only food option, but I'm sure that will change in the coming weeks.

There was a wide array of goods to peruse, from rare books to high-end olive oils to clothing to furniture. Dawn from Bark Avenue introduced me to a gray and white rescued cat whose sea green eyes have effectively seduced me, and I may find myself a foster-cat parent very soon.

The eclectic mix of merchandise should draw a diverse crowd-- I just hope that it will be enough to sustain the flea market at this location. I spoke a vendor who expressed concern regarding whether he could afford to be a regular at this location due to the high cost of the tiny space, and he mentioned that the organizers plan to "double the rent" once the flea market gets its legs.

The joy of the flea market was the juxtaposition of some ridiculously expensive items next to things that might be considered rummage sale wares-- a jumble that I hope they manage to maintain as the market grows.

Altogether, it was a good experience and I'll probably end up going whenever I have a free Sunday.